Tag Archives: Fort Bend County

Metro revives US90A commuter rail line

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The possibility of it, anyway. No promises or commitments at this time. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members on Thursday approved a resolution authorizing transit officials to “place” the project in the “Federal Transit Administration process” and look for ways to … Continue reading →

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What it will take to win the District Court of Appeals benches

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that one place on the local ballot where Democrats could potentially gain some real ground is with the district Courts of Appeals. There are no competitive Congressional or State Senate races, the one competitive … Continue reading →

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We’re outsourcing inmates again

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We never learn. Harris County, in the latest move to keep its swelling jail population in check, is pursuing an agreement with neighboring Fort Bend County to send inmates to the suburb’s jail. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesman called … Continue reading →

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Miles wins SD13 nomination

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And so we gathered again to pick a nominee to fill an open slot on the ballot, though at least this time the “we” who did the actual picking did not include me. I went to observe, say Hi, gather … Continue reading →

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Today’s the day for SD13

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like we’ve been here before, doesn’t it? Today is the day for the Senate precinct convention in SD13, in which a nominee for that office to replace Sen. Rodney Ellis will be chosen. There are 96 precinct chairs in … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of SD13

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not much new here. Amid frantic wooing of Democratic precinct chairs, the unconventional sprint to succeed state Sen. Rodney Ellis is boiling down to an argument over tenure: Is it better to move a seasoned legislator to the Senate, or … Continue reading →

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Another view of Democratic goals for 2016

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds about right. Some Democrats say Clinton has a chance at winning a majority in Texas, where interest is heightened because U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro has been mentioned as a possible Clinton running mate. Castro said … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The Chron for Rep. Thompson

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Rep. Senfronia Thompson in SD13, though they spend most of their time attacking Rep. Borris Miles. In 2008 [Rep. Miles] was indicted (and later acquitted) for deadly conduct in a bizarre scenario that had him accused of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Labor for Thompson, the Mayor for Miles

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO today announced their support of Senfronia Thompson for State Senator District 13. “Our unions screened two candidates for Senate District 13 — Representatives Senfronia Thompson and Borris Miles,” said … Continue reading →

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More on the SD13 race

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: In the span of a month, a Texas Senate seat will have been vacated and effectively filled, an unconventional turn of events that has Houston Democrats scrambling to replace one of their most venerated legislators. The highly … Continue reading →

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SD13 nomination process update

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Two possible candidates have taken themselves out of the running. State Rep. Garnet Coleman and former City Councilman C.O. Bradford have decided not to run for Rodney Ellis’ state Senate seat, citing a desire to retain seniority in the state … Continue reading →

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Here come the candidates for SD13

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. State Rep. Borris Miles came prepared with signs Saturday when Rodney Ellis all but secured a seat on Harris County’s Commissioners Court – not in support of Ellis, but to launch his own campaign. Ellis’ selection … Continue reading →

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My vision for Metro: Expansion

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1: Buses Part 2: Marketing itself One of the things that new Metro Chair Carrin Patman has been talking about is a regional transportation plan, to get everyone – including cities and counties not currently involved with Metro – … Continue reading →

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Democratic primary runoff results

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County results Fort Bend County results Statewide results Trib liveblog Just for the record, we didn’t get any precinct results until 8:34, at which time only 8% of precincts had reported. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because of overwhelming … Continue reading →

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Board of Disciplinary Appeals suspends Rep. Reynolds’ law license

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news. Convicted of five misdemeanor counts of illegally soliciting clients to his personal injury law practice, state Rep. Ron Reynolds is now without a license to practice law. As Reynolds appeals his convictions, the Texas Supreme Court’s Board … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Still saying No to Reynolds

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its opposition to Rep. Ron Reynolds in the HD27 primary runoff. Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton has been indicted for securities fraud. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is under criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers for misusing state … Continue reading →

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Roundup of runoff candidate interviews and Q&As

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, early voting for the primary runoffs begins in a week. I did my usual series of interviews and judicial Q&As for the primary, but there were a few candidates I didn’t get to for one reason or … Continue reading →

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Jarvis Johnson wins HD139 special election

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For whatever it turns out to be worth. Houston voters on Saturday selected Jarvis D. Johnson to fill the remainder of the unexpired term of former District 139 State Representative Sylvester Turner, now mayor of Houston. Johnson, a former Houston … Continue reading →

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Representation in Richmond

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One of the smaller elections going on right now has some important questions to answer. Every time Tres Davis drives over the cracks in the streets of North Richmond, he remembers why he’s fighting for change. There are few sidewalks … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends for HD139 special election

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the final early voting totals from the HD139 special election. The disparity between absentee ballots and in-person votes is pretty amazing, isn’t it? I’m going to guess that the Saturday in-person total will be less than the 200 … Continue reading →

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Reynolds hit with $500K judgment

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Geez. State Rep. Ron Reynolds has been ordered to pay $504,000 in damages for failing to give a grieving mother her share of settlement money from a 2010 lawsuit. The embattled lawmaker, who is also an attorney, failed to give … Continue reading →

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Early voting for May 7 elections begins today

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that special election to fill out Mayor Turner’s unexpired term in HD139? Early voting for it – and for the other elections on the May 7 ballot – begins today. Who knew, right? Here’s the press release from … Continue reading →

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More on the possible Trump effect in Texas

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. While one should hesitate to feed the megalomania, there is no point in denying that there is a meaningful distinction between pre-Trump and post-Trump politics in the United States. The mogul turned … Continue reading →

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We’re still growing

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The collapse of the oil boom has not slowed down Texas’ rapid population growth. The Houston area added more people last year than any metropolitan region in the country, continuing its exceptional growth of the last decade and a half, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: What Brown can do for you

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron picks its favorite among the challengers in HD27. [Rep. Ron] Reynolds, a three-term incumbent, was named Freshman of the Year by the House Democratic Caucus at the end of the 2011 session; two years later he landed on … Continue reading →

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Interview with Angelique Bartholomew

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, three-term Rep. Ron Reynolds has drawn three challengers in HD27. You’re aware of Rep. Reynolds’ recent issues, and he is aware of what I have said about him here. As such, he declined to be interviewed. You can … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steve Brown

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

While HD137 is the only Democratic legislative primary in Harris County that features an incumbent and a serious opponent, it’s not the only one in the greater area. Over in Fort Bend, three-term Rep. Ron Reynolds has drawn three challengers … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HD27 primary

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Also known as Ron Reynolds versus the world. “This is the biggest challenge of my political career,” Reynolds said. “It will be an uphill climb, but I’m confident.” The March 1 primary includes lawyer Angelique Bartholomew, prosecutor Christopher Henderson and … Continue reading →

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Reynolds loses another request in court

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news. State Rep. Ron Reynolds has lost his bid to resume practicing law while he appeals his conviction for illegally soliciting clients. Montgomery County County Court-at-Law Judge Mary Ann Turner on Thursday denied the request by Reynolds, who … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Mayoral runoff

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, the County Clerk’s office put out draft canvass reports last night. As a result, I can do the thing that I do. Here’s a look at the Mayor’s runoff race: Dist King Turner ===================== A 9,491 … Continue reading →

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Other runoff results

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the rest of the winners from yesterday: Controller: Chris Brown At Large #1: Mike Knox At Large #2: CM David Robinson At Large #4: Amanda Edwards At Large #5: CM Jack Christie District F: Steve Le District H: … Continue reading →

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Turner defeats King

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It was close, but he led throughout. State Rep. Sylvester Turner won the Houston mayor’s race with a down-to-the-wire finish to edge businessman Bill King Saturday. While Turner won the most ballots in early voting, King narrowed the gap quickly … Continue reading →

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Reynolds alleges bias in his conviction

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Anything is possible. A Fort Bend County lawmaker is waging a public counter-offensive against prosecutors in nearby Montgomery County after his unusual conviction for illegally soliciting clients for his law practice, saying that he was the victim of selective prosecution … Continue reading →

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Harris County keeps considering vote centers

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps one of these days they will move forward on this. Seeking to making voting easier on Election Day, Harris County officials are considering shifting to a system that would allow voters to cast ballots at any county polling place … Continue reading →

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